Getting his attention

Riley has noticed Haslem can be counted on

Even amid a career moment, Udonis Haslem found himself in the shadows.

"As long as my team respects what I do," the Heat power forward said late Friday night, "that's all that I worry about."

So as Haslem spoke quietly in a corner of the visitors' locker room at Continental Airlines Arena after scoring a career-high 28 points in a 113-106 victory over the Nets, a larger media contingent staked out a spot a few cubicles down awaiting Dwyane Wade's emergence.

Haslem again was an afterthought, his effort trumped not only by Wade's 34 points, but also by the return of center Shaquille O'Neal from a two-game absence with a bruised left knee.

"I don't really worry about outside recognition," Haslem said.

Inside recognition is another story. And that has grown considerably in the 11 months since Pat Riley took over as coach. These days, there actually are plays specifically designed for Haslem.

"He's throwing me a bone every now and then, giving me a play or two every now and then," Haslem said. "I just want to convert and give him more and more confidence in me to call my name."

Until this season, virtually everything Haslem got out of the offense was of his own making, be it second-chance opportunities at the rim or crushing screens that left him open for pick-and-roll jumpers.

But after Haslem provided 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting in the title-clinching Game 6 victory of last season's NBA Finals at Dallas, Riley provided Haslem with his own pages in the playbook.

"We've got a couple of plays," Haslem said. "It's up to him whether he calls 'em or not. My main focus is defend, rebound and do other things. But when he calls my number, I try to step up and make plays."

Those plays were needed Friday and could be again tonight against Houston, should Wade and O'Neal cancel out the Rockets' Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady in the nationally televised contest from AmericanAirlines Arena.

"It's my fourth year in the league," Haslem said. "Every year I work on my game trying to improve, trying to get better, trying to do things that I can do to help this team. As a coach, he sees that. He's giving me a little work now."

To Haslem, any acclaim from such scoring outbursts feels a bit overstated. This is, after all, a player who departed Florida as the school's No. 3 all-time scorer. "There's still a couple of things I think I can do better," he said.

Through it all, there remains an exuberance of being able to provide a rugged payoff, such as the low-post move he dropped on Nets center Nenad Krstic at one point Friday night.

"I got a little excited, I guess," he said of his display of emotion. "I thought I was back at Gainesville."

CHALLENGE ISSUED

After voicing the sentiment at a recent preseason meeting between the teams that Yao had surpassed O'Neal as the game's dominant big man, McGrady reiterated the opinion after the Rockets' center closed with 35 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocked shots in Friday's 103-94 win over the Knicks.

"I don't care who you try to match up against him," McGrady told reporters at Houston, "I don't care who you say is the most dominant, No. 11 on my team, hands down, is the best center in the league."

TONIGHT

ROCKETS AT HEAT

When/where: 8 p.m., AmericanAirlines Arena.

Tickets: Available on ticketExchange at www.heat.com.

TV: SUN. Radio: WIOD (610-AM), WBZT (1230-AM), WQBA (1140-AM, Spanish). About the Rockets: Houston has won three in a row after a 1-2 start. Center Yao Ming is coming off a 35-point, 17-rebound, seven-block performance in Friday's 103-94 home victory over the Knicks. His effort helped compensate for the continued uneven play of forward Tracy McGrady, who shot 4 of 12 against New York. Guard Bonzi Wells, who spurned a preseason offer from the Heat, has yet to have an impact with the Rockets, appearing in only two games for a total of 31 minutes, with a total of six points. Houston has outrebounded the opposition by double digits in four in a row. Guard Bob Sura (knee) is out. About the Heat: The Heat dropped its exhibition finale 96-71 to the Rockets on Oct. 25 at home, with Dwyane Wade scoring 26 points. The Heat swept the two-game series last season and has won three in a row at home against the Rockets. The Heat is coming off Friday's 113-106 victory at New Jersey, when Wade scored a season-high 34 points and power forward Udonis Haslem a career-best 28. This is center Shaquille O'Neal's second game back after a two-game absence due to a bruised left knee. He shot 5 of 13 in Friday's victory over the Nets, fouling out in 29 minutes. Guard Jason Williams (knee) and center Michael Doleac (ankle) are out.